United States Senate

E886

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress, composed of two senators from each state who share responsibility for making federal laws, confirming key executive and judicial appointments, and ratifying treaties.

All labels observed (16)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (57)

Predicate Object
instanceOf chamber of the United States Congress
upper house of bicameral legislature
clotureThreshold three-fifths of Senators duly chosen and sworn (typically 60)
confirms Cabinet-level appointments
Supreme Court justices
ambassadors
federal judges
contrastedWith United States House of Representatives representation by population
country United States of America
createdBy Article I of the United States Constitution
surface form: Constitution of the United States, Article I
dateEstablished 1789
establishedBy United States Constitution
hasCheckAndBalanceFunction check on executive branch
check on judicial branch
hasCitizenshipRequirement at least 9 years U.S. citizenship
hasCommitteeSystem joint committees
select committees
standing committees
hasElectionCycle staggered
hasElectionFraction approximately one-third of seats every two years
hasLegislativePower power to approve or reject legislation
power to propose amendments to bills
power to propose constitutional amendments
hasMembersFrom U.S. states
hasMembersPerState 2
hasMinimumAgeRequirement 30 years
hasMotto E pluribus unum (shared national motto)
hasNumberOfMembers 100
hasOfficerTitle Senate Majority Leader
surface form: Majority Leader

Majority Whip
Senate Minority Leader
surface form: Minority Leader

Minority Whip
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
surface form: President pro tempore
hasOfficialLanguage English
surface form: English (de facto)
hasPresidingOfficer Vice President of the United States
hasPresidingOfficerTitle President of the United States Senate
surface form: President of the Senate
hasPrimaryFunction advice and consent on presidential appointments
lawmaking
ratification of treaties
trial of impeachments
hasResidencyRequirement inhabitant of the represented state at time of election
hasRule filibuster tradition
hasTermLength 6 years
hasVotingSystem popular vote within each state
impeachmentConvictionThreshold two-thirds of members present
impeachmentRole conducts trials after impeachment by the House of Representatives
legislativeProcessRequires passage of bills by both houses of Congress
locatedIn Washington, D.C.
meetsIn United States Capitol
originalSelectionMethod election by state legislatures
partOf United States Congress
publishesRecord Congressional Record
ratifies treaties negotiated by the President of the United States
represents states as political units
selectionMethodChangedBy Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
sharesLegislativePowerWith United States House of Representatives
treatyRatificationThreshold two-thirds of Senators present

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1,769)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Torrijos–Carter Treaties ratifiedBy United States Senate
88th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
United States Minister to Spain confirmedBy United States Senate
PRO-IP Act of 2008 legislativeChamberOfOrigin United States Senate
Samuel A. Alito Jr. confirmedBy United States Senate
Wheeler-Rayburn Act legislativeChamber United States Senate
Revenue Act of 1934 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Wagner–Steagall Act chamberOfOrigin United States Senate
John Glenn representedIn United States Senate
United States Attorneys confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: United States Attorney
Alexander Martin memberOf United States Senate
Brien McMahon legislativeBody United States Senate
96th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Evarts Act chamberOfOrigin United States Senate
Samuel Johnston memberOf United States Senate
Kay Bailey Hutchison memberOf United States Senate
Howard Baker workedFor United States Senate
Public Law 107-306 legislativeBranch United States Senate
Slade Gorton representedIn United States Senate
58th United States Congress legislativeBody United States Senate
58th United States Congress upperHouse United States Senate
58th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
New York congressional delegation upperHouse United States Senate
Nathaniel Macon memberOf United States Senate
Wilbur Ross confirmedBy United States Senate
Bob Dole memberOf United States Senate
General Counsel of the Navy confirmedBy United States Senate
Kirsten Gillibrand memberOf United States Senate
Jack Lew confirmedBy United States Senate
Elihu Root memberOf United States Senate
Gadsden Purchase agreement ratifiedBy United States Senate
Charles Schumer electedToOffice United States Senate
112th United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
Lamar Alexander memberOf United States Senate
S.1790 legislativeBody United States Senate
Jim Inhofe representedIn United States Senate
OPEN Government Act of 2007 legislativeBody United States Senate
116th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
94th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Aldrich–Vreeland Act legislativeChamber United States Senate
63rd United States Congress hasChamber United States Senate
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (as president) chamberInvolved United States Senate
subject surface form: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021